READING AND WRITING. Let s think about it. Read and do. writing. make the profile of an ancient civilization

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1 READING AND WRITING In this part you will learn to: skim ( read quickly for general meaning) scan ( read for specific pieces of information ) identify reference words recognize types of discourse summarize and you will: make the profile of an ancient civilization Let s think about it Read and do writing

2 Let s think about it Look at pictures 1 3, then answer the questions Which civilization do you think the reading passage is bout? 2. Which picture shows one of the Seven Wonders of the World? 3. Which Ancient Egyptian king have you heard of? What was he famous for? 4. Who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen? When was it? Read the text below then do the tasks. TEXT Read and do Ancient Egyptian civilization rose in the Nile Valley. As in Sumer, the need for an irrigation system first led farmers to join together and cooperate. But the bonding together of men developed much further in Egypt. Sumer remained a land of small city states whereas the people of Egypt became united under the rule of a single king. This made Egypt the first nation in history. ( 1)

3 The Pharaoh s government did many important things. It protected the land and its inhabitants by organizing defences to keep out the raiding war bands which sometimes attacked the country from the desert. The preserving of internal peace was another of the Pharaoh s tasks. The people of a nation can only live together if the rulers make sure that the laws are obeyed. ( 2) The Egyptians derived great benefits from their system of national government. But this was only one reason why they stayed a united people throughout ancient times. Another reason was their national pride and strong sense of belonging together. The Egyptians felt that they were privileged to have been born in Egypt. All other lands, they thought, were cold and dark, and the people living in them more akin to animals than to human beings. ( 3) It was the Ancient Egyptians feeling and beliefs about the Pharaoh that provided the strongest unifying force of all. The Egyptian thought that their king was a living god, a divine ruler who had magic control over the weather and the Nile, and who alone brought safety, prosperity and happiness to the nation. The Pharaoh was revered to such a degree that his people dared not mention him by name. They only spoke of the palace in which he lived. That is why they called him Pharaoh, which means great house. ( 4) When we realize how much the Pharaoh meant to the Egyptians, it is easy to understand how the pyramids came to be built. Since he was a god, he could not be allowed to die. It was believed that his spirit would survive only if his body were preserved, together with everything that was needed for its future well being. The pyramids, therefore, were designed as eternal

4 dwelling places for the god kings from where the dead Pharaohs would continue their magic work for their beloved land. ( 5) The effort and resources needed to build pyramids were so great that from the 25 th century B.C onwards, they had inevitably to become smaller and smaller. The Later Pharaohs were buried, not in pyramids, but in rock tombs. Yet the contents of the tombs remained as extravagant as before. When Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922 it proved to contain the most incredible burial treasure ever found. With all this treasure going into the ground instead of being invested, it was no surprise that eventually the Pharaohs proved to be the major cause behind the decline and fall of ancient Egyptian economy, and therefore of its civilization. ( 6) ( From Victor Skipp, Out of the Ancient World,Pinguin, p.61.) 1. Skim through the text to find out what the text is about. Circle the letter corresponding to the right answer. The text is about: a. The collapse of the Ancient Egyptian civilization. b. The rise,flourishing and fall of the Ancient Egyptian civilization. c. The similarities and differences between the Sumerian civilization and the Ancient Egyptian civilization. 2. Skim through the whole text again and match ideas A F below with their corresponding paragraphs.

5 IDEAS A. The Pharaoh s government B. The importance of the Pharaoh for the unity of Egypt C. The unification of Ancient Egypt D. Patriotic feelings in ancient Egypt E. The reason for the ruin of Egyptian economy F. The idea behind the building of the pyramids PARAGRAPHS Read the text again and mark the statements below as true or false according to the text. A. Ancient Sumer and Ancient Egypt rose n the Nile Valley. B. The Pharaoh s government was able to ensure the protection of the land and its inhabitants. C. The Egyptians believed that people living in other land were different from them. D. The Egyptians thought the Pharaoh was the chief servant of the city s god. E. The Egyptians built the pyramids to hide the Pharaohs treasures. F. No treasure was found in Tutankhamen s tomb. 4. Scan the text and answer the following questions. A. What was the major difference between ancient Sumer and ancient Egypt? B. What are the benefits that ancient Egyptians derived from their system of national government?

6 C. What does the name of Pharaoh mean in the ancient Egyptian language? D. Why were the pyramids important for ancient Egyptians? E. Who discovered Tutankhamen s tomb? 5. What do the words written in bold in the text refer to? A. Paragraph one This B. Paragraph two 1. It 2. its 3. which C. Paragraph three 1. this 2. their 3. them D. Paragraph four 1. They. 2. he

7 Writing Make the profile of Ancient Greek civilization. 1.Your profile should include : Information about the place where and the time when Ancient Greek civilization flourished Information on the contributions made by Ancient Egypt and Phoenicia to Ancient Greek civilization. A summary of the major achievements of this civilization in science, philosophy, politics etc, Information on the civilizations that preserved the Greek cultural heritage for mankind. 2. When you write the profile of Ancient Greek civilization pay attention to: the structure of your sentences the organization of your paragraphs coherence spelling grammar punctuation